“Oh, I doubt that.” Letting go of my hips, he walked around so that he was facing me. For a moment, he stared at me like someone who couldn’t decide what to do. His powder-blue eyes burned through the leather mask, and all my muscles tightened, and I do mean all of them. I wanted his hands on me. I balled my hands into fists of frustration. I mean, this was Erik Ross, after all. I could barely have a conversation with him that didn’t result in the gritting of teeth.
“Aria?” he said again and bit down on his lower lip. He gestured to the mic. “Will you do me the honor.”
I turned my gaze to the microphone and then glanced back at him.
He shrugged. “Who knows, you might have fun.” He took a few steps back and lowered himself into a chair, extending his long legs out in front of him. Placing his fingers near his full mouth, he added, “And if not, you’ve got one hell of a story you can publish in the morning.”
I lifted my eyebrows.
With a grin, he nodded. “And, uh, you’ll even have video proof.”
For a moment, I was able to think clear. “Yeah, right.” I snorted. “Like you’d let a story like this run in your own paper.” I shook my head. “I mean blog.”
He stared at me in a way that made me feel naked. I started to hug myself, but didn’t, because for some idiot reason, I liked feeling bare in front of him.
“Well, even if I wasn’t willing…I’m sure my competition would be.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “Now, I want to hear what your voice can do with…‘Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again.’” He pushed a button on a small remote he pulled from his pocket.
Once again, the lights dimmed, music began to play, and a spotlight shone where I was standing.
I had to laugh. Shaking my head, I said, “How much money did you spend setting all this up?”
He winked and paused the instrumental that had been playing. “Do we have an agreement?”
I bit my lip and gazed at him. Finally, I shrugged, lowered the mic, and then nodded at him.
Screw it, this wouldn’t be the first time I’d played Christine.
6
Erik
Her full lips parted, and something in my gut responded with anticipation. My favorite song from Phantom of the Opera fell off her lips, soft at first, and her expression mirrored the lyrics.
I could tell two things right away. The first, that she was full of shit—she still sang, and more than that, she still loved it. The second was that she was going to walk right up to the fantasy I had of this moment, and blow it the hell away.
The longer she sang, the more she relaxed and the more she got into it. Her eyes half closed, and she alternated between grabbing the microphone stand to running her hands across her tight form. The movements weren’t sexual, but they still drove me crazy. Soon, I had to tighten the backs of my thighs to keep myself in my chair.
Damn, I wanted to be in her hands. I wanted to peek into her thoughts to see how the music worked. The expression on her face made my head swirl. By the time she was belting out the high notes at the climax of the song, I was panting. It took every ounce of strength I had to stay in the chair. I wanted to get on my knees in front of her. What I heard on her video had nothing on what I was hearing in person.
At the end of the song, she huffed into the mic. The office filled with silence. I slid my tongue across my bottom lip. For a while, all I could do was stare at her. She backed away from the microphone and cupped her hands in front of her.
I shook my head. “Thank you.”
Her gaze lifted, and she half smiled. It was the first time any hint of shyness had come out of her.
I tilted my head and tapped my fingers against the side of my chair. With a shrug, I stood up and said, “Fuck it.”
As I closed the distance between us, her eyes widened. I shoved the microphone stand out of the way. The mic fell to the floor and made an awful squealing noise.
She held her hands up in front of her. “Wh—what are you doing?”
“Touching you,” I muttered, gently taking her by the hip and pulling her toward me. “I’m tired of just thinking about it. It’s driving me crazy.”
She leaned away from me.
With a slight smile, I slid an arm down her lower back and pulled her close in measured movements. “Don’t worry. I’ll be a good boy.” I stopped and loosened my grip.
She relaxed in my grasp. Slowly, her arms lowered to her sides. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to wait. When she remained where she was, I picked her up and pulled her against my chest. Moving slowly, I lowered my face so that my lips rested against her neck. I breathed her in. She smelled like salt and lavender.
“Is this okay?” I whispered.
She gasped.
I raised my head and trailed my fingers across the back of her neck. She bit down on her lip. Blood punched up against my skin. I started to shake. Holding my breath, I grappled for control. Then, I cupped my hands around her neck and pulled her even closer. She melted like smooth butter against me.
“Close your eyes,” I managed to say.
She blinked at me and then complied.
Trying to move slowly was like fighting a magnetic pull. I lowered my face and rested my lips against hers.
“Damnit,” I said against her mouth. “I want to throw you on that desk and rip this fucking dress off.”
Her eyes widened. “Isn’t it expensive?”
I might have laughed if there was any blood left in my brain to remember these things. Still, I took notice that she didn’t object.
“Sure,” I whispered. “But that isn’t why I can’t rip it off.”
She dug her fingers into my back and lifted her eyebrows.
“I can’t rip it off because it looks too damn good on you.”
When she lowered her head, her lips brushed against my chin. Each time a part of her connected with a part of me, it was like being sucked into an electric current. Control was almost impossible.
“You’re shaking,” she said, barely audible. Her gaze lifted. “Are ghosts supposed to shake?” Reaching out, she ran a finger across my mask to my right cheek.
I leaned into her touch before cupping her face. Again, I rested my lips against hers.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”
With a chuckle, I tangled my fingers in her hair and gently pulled her head back so that her neck was exposed. Lowering myself over her, I brushed my mouth against her skin.
A breathy moan escaped her. I clenched my jaw, hugged her toward me, and then spun her around.
“Close your eyes again,” I mumbled.
“Erik—”
“Just do it. Are they closed?”
She nodded.
I released her, reached behind me, and then removed my mask. With a grin, I tied it around her face. Her hands reached behind her head and covered mine. I pushed them back to her sides.
“Count to twenty,” I told her.
“What? Why?”
I didn’t say anything.
She sighed. “Another game?”
“I’m waiting.”
After several beats of silence, she began to count. I stepped out from behind her, scanned my gaze up and down that amazing body one last time, and stepped toward the elevator.
When the doors opened, I called, “See you at work tomorrow, Ms. Evans.” Then I stepped into the elevator and let the doors close behind me.
7
Aria
My leg was shaking so hard under the table that my coffee bounced off my saucer and spilled over.
“Girl, what is your problem today!” Garret grabbed a napkin and wiped up my mess before the precious liquid could spill onto my jeans.
We sat together, several blocks away from the office at The Cozy Cow, enjoying a quick bite of their famous comfort food. Well, he was enjoying his scone while I was going out of my frickin’ mind.
I waved him off, concentrating on the article I’d pulled up
on my cell phone. “Did you know that Erik is completely self-made?” Shaking my head, I added, “And that last year he donated a million dollars for literacy in underfunded schools?”
“Mm-hmm.” Garret sighed and then slapped his hand down on my leg. “You’re giving me anxiety, and you know I’m trying to go off my meds.”
I glanced up. “Sorry.”
He laughed. “What is wrong with you today?” He polished off the rest of his scone and then pointed at my muffin. “Are you going to eat that?”
“Go for it,” I said, setting my phone on my lap.
“Thank you.” He took the muffin, wrapped it in a napkin, and then stuffed it into his laptop bag. “So, why have you been talking about Erik all morning.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “I haven’t been.”
With a snort, he leaned toward me. “So, that’s my other best friend that’s been spewing shit that everyone knows about the man all damn day.” He tossed his arms up. “And you haven’t mentioned your article being the most commented on post in like three or four years.”
My mouth gaped. “Really?”
He laughed. “Okay, I’m going to get you some more coffee.” He stood up, shot me a look, and then slipped back into the shop.
As soon as I was alone, I closed my eyes and massaged my temples. I had to get Erik, and last night, out of my head. Garret was right. I’d been talking about my boss like some high school girl with her first major crush. And even worse, I kept fidgeting because I had the female equivalent of blue balls.
Just when I pushed him out of my thoughts, he came storming back in, wearing that damn suit and mask. I ached to be touched by him, which was frustrating, because yesterday morning I couldn’t stand to be around him. The thought made me laugh.
“Someone in your head say something funny?”
My eyes popped open and I stared up at Garret. He handed me a to-go cup just as my phone rang.
“Thank you,” I muttered, taking the coffee and staring down at the number. I didn’t recognize it. “Hello?”
“Ms. Evans,” a husky voice buzzed against my ear.
A chill raced through me, and I almost spilled my coffee again. At least this time, it had a top on it. Clearing my throat, I ignored the look Garret gave me from across the table and said, “Yes?”
“I need you in the conference room, but you don’t seem to be at work.”
I blinked. “Um, I’m on my lunch break?”
“Yeah, that’s over,” Erik said with clear amusement in his voice. “I’ll see you in…let’s say ten minutes?”
Before I could respond, the line went dead. I put my phone away and laughed, half intrigued, half really frickin’ annoyed.
“Who was that?” Garret asked.
I snorted. “No one.” When I stood, I almost knocked over the glasses on the small table.
Garret sighed and then shook his head. “Where are you going?”
“Back to the office.” I slipped my bag over my shoulder and shook my hands out to stop myself from shaking. “I have a… I forgot to do that thing.”
“What thing?”
“I’ll see you later.” I gave him a tight smile, turned on my heels, and hurried away. As soon as my text message alert went off, I knew it was him, asking me once again what was wrong with me. I ignored it because I didn’t have an answer, but I’d get one.
With every step I took back to the office, I grew angrier. By the time I got off the elevator, my expression must have been a fright, because colleagues jumped out of my way, and once I passed, they mumbled behind my back. I turned the corner and ripped open the door to the conference room.
There he was, sitting at the end of the oval table, with a tablet in his hands and wearing one of those ridiculous oversized suits. It was like he was trying to piss me off.
I slammed the door. When I spun around, I hissed, “You don’t summon me.”
His blue eyes widened. A slow smile stretched across his face as he removed his feet from the table. “I’m sorry?”
I took a few moments to catch my breath and slow my heart rate. Then, I stomped over to him with a finger pointed. “I said. You don’t summon me. You don’t call me when I’m on lunch, and command me back like you’re some kind of…”
His eyebrows lifted, and his lips puckered slightly. “Like I’m what, Aria?” He stood and slid his hands into his pockets. “Your boss?”
Biting down on my lip, I stared at him. Even back in the nerd glasses and the suit, he was disarming. It was like now that I had seen another side of him, I couldn’t un-see it.
“Because I am, you know.” He stepped out from behind the table and narrowed his eyes at me. “Your boss.”
I opened my mouth, ready to tell him off, but of course the words went stupid on my tongue.
He patted the surface of the table. “Take a seat for me, Aria.”
I glanced from his hand to the too serious expression on his face, and then snorted. “Are you serious?”
“You spend a lot of time asking me that.” He patted the table again. “Sit.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, unwilling to admit, even to myself, that I wanted to. Something in his tone hinted that he’d never considered the fact that I could say no.
“I’m waiting, Ms. Evans.”
For the next few moments, we had an office staring contest. Finally, without taking my gaze from his, I dropped my bag, inched toward him, and then propped myself up on the table in front of him.
With a smile, he planted his hands on either side of me and leaned in. My breath hitched.
“That’s better,” he whispered. “Now, I called you in here for a performance review.” He winked. “As your boss, am I allowed that?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You walk around here with a lot of attitude,” he began in a voice so soft I hadn’t noticed he was insulting me. “It’s almost as if you hate working for me. I feel like my suits annoy you, and my enthusiasm puts you off.” He smiled. “And despite all your bullshit, I can’t get you out of my head.” He leaned away slightly and took his glasses off. His head tilted to the side. “I think your performance has been spectacular, Ms. Evans. And I summoned you back here to finish what I started last night.”
Again, all I could do was stare at him.
After a few beats of silence, he said, “You’re not saying anything.”
I cleared my throat. “Um…what did you need to finish?”
He smiled and placed a hand under my chin. “Well, I didn’t kiss you.”
I nodded. “Why?”
“Because fantasies are easy, Aria.” He leaned in. “And before we start to play, I wanted to bring us back to reality.”
Planting a hand against his chest, I tried to stop thinking about him in that silk vest. I took in a deep breath before asking, “What makes you think I want to play?”
He chuckled, and the sound made me tingle in such a way that I went to cross my legs. His hand touched my thigh, and he kept my legs parted.
Biting down on his lower lip, he said, “Well, I guess that’s the big question here, isn’t it?”
All the anger from before fizzled out into the kind of desire I’d never been caught up in.
“If you want to play, kiss me.” He rubbed his cheek against mine.
My eyes slid shut so that I could better enjoy the feel of stubble against my skin.
“If you don’t…”
I grabbed his stupid frickin’ Superman tie, and pulled him toward me. For a moment, I paused, trying to think of a sexy retort. Nothing came. So, I pulled him toward me and pressed my lips against his. He groaned, pulled me up into his arms, and massaged his lips with mine.
He was salty and warm. His tongue slipped into my mouth, gentle but commanding. I clung to him without bothering to fight for control. Turning around, he slammed me into the wall. When his lips found my neck, my eyes rolled back into my head.
Pulling away, he muttered, “Are you wet?” against my ear.
/>
All I could do was groan.
“Mm.”
As he pressed himself against me, I felt how much he wanted me. He pulled away, and I thought I might go crazy.
“The next game is yours to name, Ms. Evans.” With that, he put me down. “But I hope to hell it involves tasting you.”
I stared at him, panting, unable to control my breath.
With a nod toward the door, he said, “That will be all.”
My mouth gaped. He half smiled, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, you’re in for it, boss. The game is so on.”
The End
This story will be revised and expanded into a solo title at the end of this year or in 2019. To keep updated visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/natashalarrybooks/
About the Author
Natasha Larry is a mother and DC comics fan girl. She writes multicultural paranormal fantasy and is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her published works include The Night and Darwin’s Children.
Want more from Natasha Larry? Visit her author page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashalarrybooks/ , and be sure to check out The Night https://www.facebook.com/thenightebook/ . She also hangs out on Twitter at https://twitter.com/natashalarry .
Kiss and Tell
Monica Corwin
Kiss and Tell Copyright © 2017 by Monica Corwin
For Beth who always believes in me,
no matter how stupid my idea might seem.
Kiss and Tell
In a world of one night stands and friends with benefits, Tony is ready to experience all life has to offer, if only Jeremy could allow her to forget his hands, his mouth, and his proposal.
Tonya McGregor has everything a girl could want except...a man. Well, she has a man, just not one she wants. Transferred overseas to her international office, her father intends to teach her about the market. Instead of learning the lay of the land, she starts learning the men, including her sexy ex across the hall. On the advice of her best friend, Tonya takes a more active role in her love life, effectively ruining it for good.
Seduction in a Suit: An Office Romance Collection Page 130
